Le Geant Grand Marnier Slush

Where: Les Vins des Chefs de France, France Pavilion, Epcot

Does a seemingly nondescript walk-up kiosk truly house the best beverage in all of Walt Disney World? Disneyland Resort guests, privy to the Cozy Cone, will caution you not to judge a cocktail from where it is purchased. The Cozy Cone is a delightful representation of its counterpart, in "Cars," the movie, as is Cars Land in its entirety. You wouldn’t take a date to eat there, nor would you expect that’s where you may find the best drink you’ve ever had in Fillmore’s Pomegranate Limeade.

The Grand Marnier Slush is another such hidden gem. Well, not so hidden. There was a time when guests could walk right up to the small outdoor vendor and purchase one with little or no waiting. Sometimes there would be some slack-jaw holding up the modest line, making foolish espresso purchases. Generally, though, the quick-service counter sat in adequate obscurity, especially considering the treasure housed within.

Now, and I point to the rash of drinking clubs, and Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival, the word is out. There’s almost always a line. If it rivaled the wait for Frozen, or Soarin’, or both, it would be worth it. The hypnotic orange creation and the setting in which you may enjoy it are a credit to the Disney resort, cast and spirit. Get a slush — Le Geant is the one with the extra topper of Grand Marnier — take two steps away from the counter, that others may get theirs, and embrace paradise.

I have enjoyed an exceptional glass of wine on top of the Contemporary Resort at sunset. I once partook in a bucket of cerveza on a beach by the BoardWalk, with my feet soaking in Crescent Lake (when we were permitted to do such things). I have been introduced to Nomad Lounge and Animal Kingdom’s tangerine liqueur. This blended Grand Marnier cocktail, sipped blithely on the rail of World Showcase Lagoon, rivals them all.

Wild Passion Fruit Margarita

Where: La Cava del Tequila, Mexico Pavilion, Epcot

That anything other than an IPA, or this exceptional margarita, tops a list of my favorite drinks is noteworthy. Like choosing between your children — you know you have a favorite — the task is as difficult to complete, as it is easy to second guess. Standing anywhere within or near the Mexico Pavilion, with a margarita in hand that perspires life-affirmation like condensation, one has to wonder if I’ve made the right choice.

You can’t go wrong, really. I mean, we’re talking about extraordinary cocktails at Epcot. What they’ve managed to accomplish, park-wide, is incredible. It’s why the scourge of drinking clubs is so prevalent.

La Cava del Tequila does have one advantage over the French quick-service counter: you may be fortunate enough to get a table, or a coveted spot at the bar. Then, if the La Cava cast isn’t customarily overwrought, you can enjoy the company of some truly remarkable humans in addition to your outstanding beverage.

Tequila, ginger liqueur, mango, passion fruit, and lime juice, sprinkled with Tajín chili powder; if it wasn’t so difficult to get the seat I love at La Cava, this margarita would appear at the top of every list. As there are times when it’s difficult to even get in the door, I must give top honors to the French alternative that is typically easier to acquire.

Santa Monica Cider

Where: California Grill Lounge, Disney's Contemporary Resort

It’s no longer on the menu, but California Grill’s well-staffed and appointed bar has all the ingredients and they don’t mind making it—unlike Starbucks, where they take a rightfully dim view of those demanding pumpkin-spice lattes in July.

The degree to which the stifling climate at Walt Disney World takes visitors by surprise then brings them to their knees, is stunning. Hyperventilating masses jockeying for precious, fleeting shade, and virtually bathing in the tepid drinking fountains, is a testament to a race that woefully underestimates southern, specifically Floridian, weather. An inability to properly anticipate the elements can ruin your vacation. Except for about two weeks in January, heat and humidity are your principal antagonists.

From the Magic Kingdom, you are a mere monorail, boat ride, or mildly ambitious walk from three culturally distinct styles of luxury-resort relief. Sure, it borders on blasphemy to leave a park for any purpose other than heading to another park. Still, sometimes the elements are against you, and your sanity and survival are at stake.

Consider, 5 p.m. on a blistering Floridian evening. You can either wedge yourself into the Tomorrowland Speedway line with a thousand of your closest, sweat-lathered friends, or you can ease into blissful air-conditioned comfort atop the Contemporary Resort, with a glass of sparkling refreshment and a stunning view of the Magic Kingdom. A Santa Monica Cider is strawberry, lime, agave, Hendrick’s Gin, and at least twenty minutes of not standing in the sun.

The California Grill has a moderate dress code. When you see the place you’ll understand. Also, unfortunately, it currently does not open until 4:30pm. If you are politely refused at the door, do not despair unduly. The Contemporary boasts plenty of additional restaurants, counters, and lounges, most of which employ hopelessly polite cast members who will be delighted to serve you Santa Monica Ciders to your flip-flop’s content.

Elysian Space Dust IPA

Where: Geyser Point Bar & Grill, Disney’s Wilderness Lounge

A beer, within a short list of Disney World’s best beverages, might raise eyebrows. To the incredulous, I say you need to develop a taste for IPA. Then, you need to have one at the Wilderness Lodge, lounging in the haven that is Geyser Point.

All IPA is not created equal. When you love a good one the way I do, and you find this incredible Elysian creation at a bar where you would live if Disney would allow it, Space Dust not only belongs on this list, you should serve it at your wedding, which you should hold here.

I referred to this earlier, but the confluence of Space Dust and the Geyser Point patio creates a vortex of wonderful with the power of an E-ticket attraction. I am not proud, but will again admit, slouching in a cushioned bear trap, beer in hand, breeze in my face, I nearly, consciously chose to forfeit a Space Mountain FastPass+. It took several starlings, dive bombing me, to bring me back to my senses.

Piña CoLAVA

Where: Hurricane Hanna's Grill, Disney’s Beach Club Resort

It takes something significant to stand out at Walt Disney World. Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club does so, mostly due to its unrivaled location. It is bordered, indeed blessed by a luxurious, sprawling beach, mere meters from the thrilling BoardWalk, just around the corner from a relatively private entrance to, let’s face it, Disney’s best park, Epcot. It is the type of place where you could enjoy a simple cup of tap water.

That won’t be necessary. The Yacht & Beach Club, and Hanna’s Grill specifically, has terrific food and beverage offerings. The selection highlighted here is admittedly served throughout Walt Disney World, though guests will be hard-pressed to find a venue for which it is better suited. The CoLAVA Smoothie, an ideal blend of berries, pineapple, and coconut, makes a wonderful Polynesian Resort refreshment, is a true treat while strolling Saratoga Springs, and will bring tears to your eyes if you order one beside the Grand Floridian pool. While each offers their variation of lounge-chair, smoothie-ingesting nirvana, only the Yacht & Beach Club does so within cartwheeling distance of Epcot.

Sangria Rioja

Where: Siesta's Cantina, Coronado Resort Pyramid Pool

Getting to the Coronado’s Pyramid pool requires a little bit of a trek, even if you’re staying at the hotel. If you’re not, you aren’t really supposed to use the pool. In my experience, purchasing a $9 cocktail earns you the right to enter the pool area, and the use of a chaise.

Don’t let the name dissuade you. This is no typical sangria. Drink too many of them in the sun, and yes, you’re going to suffer that headache. Still, this is not the hastily assembled bucket of after-thought wine and fruit you commonly avoid. Featuring Cointreau, guava, agave nectar, passion fruit, and mango, this divine creation is well worth walking that extra mile, and will have you coming back, especially when the bartender at your own pool fails to make it exactly the same.

Mango Green Tea Slush

A post shared by Disney At Heart (@disney_atheart)Jan 25, 2016 at 7:44pm PST

Where: Joy of Tea, China Pavilion, Epcot

The multi-faceted wonder of Epcot’s World Showcase is difficult to describe or properly wrap your brain around. When it comes to food, features, or culture, it is even harder to pick a favorite. Immaculate and authentic Italian architecture, artisan French glacé avec framboise, moonlit margaritas in Mexico, Canada’s now dearly departed OffKilter, the magic springs forth from an ineffable combination of faithful and diverse detail. When in search of a mouth-satisfying World Showcase beverage, picking one is problematic, though impossible to mess up. The Mango Green Tea makes our list as it is wonderful, of course, and because we had to choose one more.

It consists of everything in its name, and if you like traditional Chinese tea, this is not for you. The Joy of Tea kiosk has the straight stuff, too, which you can enjoy while the rest of your party delights in slushy-fruit sweetness. There are those who like to take their meals, and even their soft drinks, comfortably ensconced at one of Epcot’s many extraordinary table-service eateries. Here, too, you cannot go wrong, though the true joy of World Showcase counter service is the freedom it entails. Sit by the lagoon with your new favorite drink, or amble along the esplanade. Pass through continents of culture as you contemplate whence will come your next creative concoction.

For those proceeding clockwise around World Showcase, Joy of Tea sits exactly where you ought to be finishing the to-go margarita you got in Mexico. If you double-time it from here, you will be about done with your slush as you approach the American Adventure. If you get a Dasani from there, you ought to be sufficiently hydrated as you reach France. See beverage #1, above. Enjoy. You are welcome.